Red Hat Criticizes Microsoft over Patent Sales

Following Microsoft's recent sale of 22 patents, Red Hat has accused Redmond of implementing a classic FUD campaign against open source software.

The patents from Microsoft's portfolio were bought by a trust company in July and then further sold to the Open Invention Network. In a press release, Red Hat confirms what many had already suspected: the sale consisted of patents carefully selected and processed by Microsoft to attract the attention of patent trolls.

The release claims that “(Microsoft)... used marketing materials that highlighted offensive uses of the patents against open source software, including a number of the most popular open source packages” and goes on to openly accuse the company of spreading fear, uncertainty and doubt (FUD).

Red Hat's news article comes to the conclusion that despite Microsoft's attempts to integrate itself with the open source community, it still hasn't found a path to peace and continues to abuse its dominant market position.

The U.S. is known for its patent friendliness. But a Supreme Court decision in 2008 overturned a patent application by Bernard L. Bilski and Rand A. Warsaw for a risk mitigation process. Now Red Hat is using the so-called Bilski case in support of software non-patentability.